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161 Years Ago Today Ahab First Battled the White Whale, and Critics Hated It
Today marks the 161st anniversary of Moby Dick, the epic seafaring tale by Herman Melville, and Google is celebrating with its own Doodle
October 18, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Joann Stevens: Arts Righting History
Japanese singer-dancer Nobuko Miyamoto will speak about her role in making a place for Asian Americans in music October 19th
October 17, 2012 |
By Joann Stevens
Every Place in North Dakota Captured in 9,308 Photographs
In a series of 9,308 photographs Andrew Filer documented every place in North Dakota. Literally
October 16, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Yesterday’s Google Doodle Celebrates Little Nemo, Takes You Back to Childhood Fantasy Land
Yesterday's Google Doodle celebrated the 107th anniversary of Little Nemo in Slumberland, a comic strip by Winsor McCay that hit the presses for nine years
October 16, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 1: What Not to Wear to High School in the 1960s
Before the Age of Aquarius, there was the age of administrators and their button-down rules about students' wardrobes
October 15, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The Michelin Guide: Why We Look to Automotive Experts for Dining Advice
How did a tire company get in the restaurant reviewing business?
October 15, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
How a Missile Silo Became the Most Difficult Interior Decorating Job Ever
A relic from the Cold War, this instrument of death gets a new life … and a new look
October 15, 2012 |
By Lisa Bramen
Stocking Series, Part 4: The Rebellious Roll Garters
Wearing rolled stocking back then must have been akin to the liberating, punk rock feeling of wearing ripped fishnets today
October 12, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
The Bat-Winged Dinosaur That Never Was
Just when naturalists began to suspect that birds might be dinosaurs, one researcher put forward a truly strange idea of what early bird ancestors would have looked like
October 11, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Report Suggests Armstrong Not Just a Doper But a Pusher
Sources close to Armstrong have come forward admitting that not only did he dope, but he was at the center of the doping world
October 11, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Trial By Judgmental Jury—Attractive Women Seem More Guilty
A recent study suggested that women who are blonde and beautiful are less likely to get any sympathy from a jury
October 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Sax in the City: Connecting the Musical Dots
The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra helps connect the musical dots, from saxophonist Benny Carter to the Sex and the City theme song, at its Oct. 13 concert
October 10, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
Doing the T. rex Stretch
Did T. rex use its tiny arms to do push-ups?
October 10, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
This 105-Year-Old Made Marilyn Monroe’s Earrings
Meet Sadie Mintz, a jewelry maker who saw her handiwork on the cover of LIFE magazine
October 09, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Bioluminescent Worms Welcomed Columbus to the New World
Before Columbus made landfall in the New World 520 years ago today, glowing green worms engaged in a mating dance may have welcomed him first
October 08, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The U.S. Air Force’s Plan To Build a Flying Saucer
Newly-released schematics show the plans for a failed flying saucer
October 08, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Events October 9-11: Short Films, Chef Demonstrations and a Shanghai Quartet
This week at the Smithsonian, daily screenings, the best of American cuisine and new arrangements of Chinese folk songs
October 08, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Why Pencils Are Way Better Than Pens
Count Wolfgang, head of a huge pencil company, explains why pencils are wonderful
October 05, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Skydiver Plans to Break the Sound Barrier by Jumping From 120,000 Feet
Carried aloft by a giant helium balloon, Felix Baumgartner will free-fall from the stratosphere
October 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
